We're Gonna Ride The Lightning, Baby
by Cursd818
Summary: Something has happened to make Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid very uncomfortable.  How Criminal Minds should have gone - starting from the very first episode! I've rewritten certain scenes, so knowing the episode synopsis is pretty helpful. Morgan/Reid.
1. 1x01  'Extreme Agressor'

**1x01 – 'Extreme Aggressor'**

**_Whilst Gideon rejoins the team for a case in Seattle, something has happened to make Morgan and Reid uncomfortable around each other._  
**

Reid inched away as Gideon examined the photograph. Morgan stood a mere foot away from him, and they were both horribly tense. Close contact was now a problem between them.

...

Morgan tapped Reid's arm, and the younger genius jumped from the contact. It was the first he'd shared with the other agent in a while, and it was completely unexpected.

However, when Reid looked round at Morgan, he was stunned at just how normal the other agent looked: as though nothing had changed.

"He never stands with his back to a window. When I was between him and a door he asked me to move," Morgan complained. The only sign that things weren't normal between them was how even his tone sounded; he was controlling it carefully.

Reid's brain threw an answer out. "It's hyper vigilance," he explained. Morgan wanted reassuring? Reid could do that. "It's not uncommon in post traumatic stress disorder."

Morgan scoffed, his eyes on Gideon's back instead of Reid's face. How long was it since they'd looked each other in the eye?

"Just how much disorder are we talking about?" Morgan demanded, and Reid was spared answering by the apparition of their boss in between them. He appreciated distance greatly.

"Morgan, it's been six months," Hotch soothed. "Everything's ok."

He urged them both on, and Reid wondered if Hotch knew just how good a father he was going to be.

...

Morgan tossed the ball into the air and caught it easily. It was a rhythmic slap against his palm that was starting to annoy everyone else in the room. Morgan never usually played with a ball during a team meeting – why had he suddenly started?

Reid had a theory about asserting his masculinity, but he was trying very hard to focus on the case instead of Morgan, so he'd only come up with a few thousand supporting reasons.

"Ok, then how about the fact that on one hand, we have paranoid psychosis?" Morgan mused aloud. Reid pushed against the desk and his chair spun round. The hope that it would give him a fresh perspective turned out to be in vein.

"But the autopsy protocol says what?" Morgan continued.

"Adhesive residue shows that he put layer after layer of duct tape over his victim's eyes," Reid replied, continuing to spin. Hotch listened to both of them in silence, his mind trying to make sense of it.

"He knows he wants to kill them," Morgan said, addressing Hotch more than Reid. "But he still covers their eyes! He doesn't want them looking at him. But then he takes the body and dumps it right out in the _open_! Murder weapon near by!"

The three were shrouded in confusion over the discrepancies they'd uncovered: paranoid psychosis, but there was also behaviour that wasn't paranoid.

Gideon, on the other hand, stood apart from them. He gazed at the board on which all the evidence was gathered and tuned out the ramblings of his co-workers. Various images and words jumped off the board as he gazed at it. Different meanings rushed through his mind.

"Alright, enough," Gideon ordered, and the argument between Hotch and Morgan that had barely started ceased. All three looked round at Gideon. "Hotch, tell them we're ready."

Gideon exited the room, leaving his colleagues in a state of shock.

"We're ready?" Morgan repeated, stunned. He turned to Reid, forceful in his effort to be normal. "Reid!"

The genius looked up, and their eyes met for the first time in what seemed like years, but Morgan was far too outraged to notice the significance.

"You good with this?" he demanded. "We got a woman who's only got a few hours left to live, an incomplete profile, and a unit chief on the verge of a nervous breakdown!"

The door opened and Gideon returned.

"They don't call them nervous breakdowns anymore," he informed Morgan as he picked up a pencil and once again left the room. Hotch's lips tilted up in a smile at the sight of Morgan's undercut expression.

"It's called a major depressive episode," Reid added, rubbing the salt into the wound.

"I know, Reid," Morgan spoke over him, a command for silence echoing in his harsh tone. Reid ducked his head and the nervous tension between them grew.

Morgan sighed deeply, and Hotch frowned at them both. Had he missed something?

...

"Before his Son of Sam murders, David Berkowitz set a multitude of fires," Reid elaborated for Gideon, and was surprised by Morgan's voice close behind him.

"Exactly how much is a multitude?"

It was a question Reid should have expected, but things had grown a little crazy where Morgan was concerned.

"According to his diary, one thousand, four hundred, and …"

Reid blamed his inability to recall the exact figure on Morgan being the one to ask the question. A week or so ago, he'd been fine, but now –

"Eighty-eight," the female detective helping them supplied. Reid nodded his thanks and scurried away, eager for some distance to clear his mind of the distractions that were blocking his neural pathways.

...

"Try again. Fail again. Fail better," quoted Gideon. Reid nodded eagerly and looked round at Elle and Morgan. He scanned his brain for less than a heartbeat.

"Samuel Becket."

Elle assessed him curiously, but Morgan quipped straight back.

"Try not. Do or do not." His eyes flitted between Reid and Gideon, hovering on Reid's fragile features for a moment, and then returned to the silver casing of the laptop.

Gideon looked at Reid, whose mind hadn't even had to consciously think before it provided the answer. Evidently the block Morgan put on his brain did not apply to anything related to Morgan.

"Yoda," Reid told Gideon, who looked at Reid, decided it wasn't worth it, and walked away. Reid looked back at his notebook, uncomfortable as was becoming the norm.

...

"Aren't you on your way back to Slessman's house to help Morgan?"

Reid mentally groaned. He'd hoped to delay being in a house where the only person he knew was Morgan.

He looked back at the printer, trying to think about Gideon instead: his mentor and friend.

...

Spencer Reid raked his fingers through his hair, frustrated at his own inability to concentrate. He wasn't usually this distracted, and he knew both the cause and solution. His avoidance of both was clearly not helping anything, and he couldn't do what Morgan had done: pretend everything was as it should be. There was a woman fighting for her life, and in order to help her, Reidneeded to be able to think clearly.

He slowly ascended to the attic. Morgan's eye flickered up, and instantly grew darker at the sight of his skinny co-worker.

He looked down at the laptop in a blatant display of how busy he was. Reid swallowed and tried to build up his courage. He knew that this was something he had to do, but knowing that and actually doing something about it were two different things.

"Morgan?" he asked timidly. The dark agent didn't look up, and Reid was half-relieved, half-disappointed.

"Mmm?" Morgan murmured. He made a great show of looking at the lists of CD's beside him, projecting that what Reid had to say had better be important to interrupt him while he was so engrossed in his work.

"Shouldn't we talk?" Reid enquired.

All of a sudden, he had Morgan's undivided attention, and decided he preferred it when Morgan had been ignoring him; at least he hadn't been on the receiving end of Morgan's death-glare.

"About what?" Morgan demanded abruptly. Reid struggled to force the words past the lump in his throat. His nerves had crashed through the ceiling of all human emotion all of a sudden.

"Morgan, you kissed me," he mumbled, almost incoherent, but Morgan heard him loud and clear.

He gaped for a moment, and then clenched his jaw. "No, I didn't," Morgan replied, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

He looked back at the sheet of paper still held in his fists, dismissing Reid and the whole conversation.

Reid stared at him. His nerves were washed away by white-hot anger that blazed across his chest and up, out of his throat.

"You –" Reid managed to stop himself before he said something he knew he would regret. He was a calm, collected person, and he couldn't allow Morgan to infuriate him past that. He counted down from ten, and then continued a little into the negative numbers until he felt he was back in control of his mouth.

Morgan was all tense muscles and brittle bones before him, hoping that Reid would storm away and let him return to repressing the memory. Instead, Reid squared his shoulders, given confidence by his anger.

"I may have graduated from high school when I was twelve, but I didn't miss every experience," Reid spat the words out, surprisingly venomous. Morgan looked up. He'd never heard Reid use this tone before. "I know when someone kisses me, and you kissed me!" Reid finished, and his anger transformed into fear.

Morgan's hands slammed into the table as he shot to his feet, and Reid leapt like a startled cat.

"Damnit, Reid!" Morgan shouted.

An eerie silence hung between them. Reid had burst the dam, and now the flood water had spilled over both of them. They were both waiting for something to happen now: another agent to come running up the stairs to ask about the noise, maybe?

It became evident after a moment that no one was coming. Morgan breathed in deeply, trying to steady his pulse. He hated the sight of an unnerved Reid, and he didn't want to scare him again.

"Look," Morgan began in a low voice that itched of unspoken feelings. "Emotions were running high, adrenaline was pumping, and I just …" Morgan's explanation trailed off. Reid wrapped his arms around his stomach protectively, concerned that Morgan's anger was not yet under control.

Morgan squeezed the bridge of his nose. How could he explain what he didn't understand? "It was a mistake: a nothing," Morgan decided, and his voice was filled with conviction. He met Reid's eyes. "It won't happen again."

Reid nodded, frantic with agreement. "Right. Of course not."

The uneasy silence hovered between them. Neither could think of anything else to say, and yet, there still so much left up in the air. Nothing had been resolved. They stared at each other awkwardly, until Reid couldn't take it anymore and fled the room.

Morgan lowered himself slowly back into his chair. The confrontation had left him feeling weak and helpless.

He rubbed a hand over his bare skull and once again berated himself for his momentary loss of control that had led to his most idiotic act he'd ever committed. And even worse, he'd screwed Reid up as well: Reid, the fragile young man that he liked and wanted to protect from the cruelties of the world. Instead, he'd become one of those who had hurt him.

Morgan sighed. Why had he complicated things?

...

"Come on, I need a password," Morgan mumbled to himself, pacing anxiously. "What am I looking for? What could I possibly be looking for?"

He was so engrossed in his conundrum he didn't even notice Reid had returned until he was approaching the laptop, twirling an unfolded paper clip.

Morgan was about to throw himself back into the confrontation from earlier, until he saw the set of Reid's jaw. This was business.

"I've been thinking about the CD's," Reid told Morgan as he knelt beside the laptop. Morgan was overwhelmed with relief: they needed to stay professional. Such a good excuse to avoid uncomfortable topics.

"Oh, Reid, come on. We tried the CD's," he replied, a little let down that Reid's brilliant brain hadn't come up with anything new. Reid began to fiddle with the disc drive of the computer with the thin length of mettle he'd manipulated. "We searched, sorted and sifted through every one of this guy's head-banging heavy mettle collection. We've got to find something, or this girl is dead," he added, partly for emphasis, but mostly just to keep an uneasy silence from settling.

"I think we may have missed the obvious," Reid replied, his words lazy, as though he wasn't really paying them any attention.

"What are you doing?" Morgan asked, as the disk drive clicked open. Metallica's 'Some Kind Of Monster' was revealed. Morgan pounced upon it. He lifted it out and saw the scratches announcing it to be Slessman's favourite.

"Reid, what made you think of this?" Morgan asked, amazed by Reid's brilliance. Reid held up a thin square object.

"It was the only empty case," he replied. Morgan took it, matching the titles. He'd never been a fan of Metallica himself, so he had no idea what songs would be on it, or which were any good.

"Alright, I'm an insomniac who listens to Metallica to go to sleep at night." He tried not to scoff. He couldn't think of any music less restful. Reid tilted his head to read the song list on the back of the album case. "What song could possibly speak to me?"

He looked round at Reid, whose face was alight with knowledge.

"'Enter Sandman'," Reid replied. Morgan gazed at him, praising his genius and thanking God for it. Reid immediately shied away from the intensity, but it didn't matter.

They had a password.

...

"Because we're watching her right now," Morgan replied, crouching beside Reid. He didn't even notice the proximity: all he could see was the woman on the screen, and all he could feel was a rise of helplessness and rage.

...

"Morgan. Can you show me the last twelve images lined up next to each other?" Reid asked, bending over the seated agent. Morgan glanced round and could smell Reid's shampoo –

He jerked back towards the screen, away from the oblivious Reid. Their talk had obviously enabled _him _to focus, while it had stolen most of Morgan's concentration.

"Yeah," Morgan replied hoarsely, and tapped at the keyboard quickly. The screen altered accordingly, and the past twelve frames appeared before them.

Almost identical, to Morgan's eye – what had Reid noticed?

"What -?"

"Right there," Reid answered the question before Morgan had finished asking it. He pointed at the screen. "There, you see the light bulb hanging from the wire?" Reid asked, and Morgan examined the pixels.

"Yeah. What about it?" Reid now had his attention focused.

"It's shifting positions," Reid explained. "Like it's swaying. Like the earth is tilting."

Morgan narrowed his eyes and tracked the light bulb throughout the twelve images he'd pulled up … and Reid was right. Well, almost.

"Not the earth. The ocean," Morgan replied, and they both turned to look at each other, faces almost touching. Both reared back, but they had no time to worry about that. Morgan was already dialling Hotch's number. He could examine why his heartbeat had quickened later, when Heather was safe.

...

The images flashed on the screen. Morgan gazed at Heather, wishing that he could step right through the screen and save her –

A dark shadow, and then a coat. There was someone with her.

"Reid, he's inside!"

Once again, Reid bent down beside Morgan, and once again, neither noticed as their heart rates sped up.

"Get Elle on the phone!" Morgan ordered. Reid obeyed as adrenaline began to pump through Morgan's veins. He didn't want to watch this – but how could he look away?

...

"Mighty warrior," Reid supplied. Hotch didn't mind that he had been undercut. It was Reid.

The genius made the walk past and then looked back. "Appropriate," he commented. Hotch and Morgan both smiled, although the latter's was slightly subdued.

...

Reid and Morgan both lay on the sofas, facing each other. Now and then, they'd open their eyes and glance at the other … there was still too much left unsaid for either to rest easy.

...

**NB** More fallout next chapter =]


	2. 1x02  'Compulsion'

**1x02 – 'Compulsion'**

**_While hunting down an arsonist, Reid and Morgan are struggling to hide their arguement from the team._  
**

"What?" Reid looked down at the board, and felt a shot of frustration. He knew every rule and move in chess … why did he never win?

Morgan watched the frustration and felt the need for some contact with Reid. Things between them were still strained, especially after their talk in Seattle. All Morgan wanted was to go back to the way things were when Reid was just a friend.

"You know, you'll beat him when you start learning," he taunted, and Reid screwed up his face.

"Learning what?" he demanded, and Morgan grinned. This felt normal.

"To think outside the box."

Reid glared at him. The suggestion wasn't even slightly useful. All of a sudden, the ease vanished. Reid looked down, Morgan returned to work, and they weren't bantering friends anymore.

...

"Hey, Reid. You got a statistic on arsonists?" Morgan called to the genius with an impersonal inflection to his voice. Reid didn't even look up when he answered.

...

"Try to look less official," Gideon amended. Morgan looked round as he planned his appearance on Reid's student-like ensemble. Reid shifted away in what was becoming an automatic reflex.

Gideon's eyes took it all in during a split second before he carried on walking.

...

Morgan's first thought when he saw the smoke was for his colleagues. Elle was beside him, but what about Gideon, Hotch, Reid?

His stomach turned over with fear, and his feet were pounding against the pavement. If Reid was in there, he wouldn't be able to get out. If it were Gideon or Hotch, they wouldn't leave until everyone else had. Either way, he needed to get in there.

...

The sight of Reid gazing up at the smoke from outside the building, and the knowledge that Gideon was out safely while Hotch spoke to Elle soothed Morgan's nausea. His friends and colleagues were safe and well.

His thoughts turned to the person he couldn't save, and the nausea returned.

...

"Keep thinking," Gideon encouraged.

"You mean outside the box?" asked Reid, his face contorting almost unnoticeably. "That's what Morgan's always telling me. He says that's why I can never beat you at chess." Gideon glanced round at the tight expression on Reid's face: it hadn't been there until Morgan's name had arisen.

...

"Reid?" the genius looked up with obvious affection, and it warmed Gideon whilst heightening his concerns. "Are you ok?" he asked.

A flicker of confusion twisted Reid's angular face. "Shouldn't I be?"

Gideon shrugged. His casual manner hid the fact that every movement Reid made was being analysed.

"You and Morgan are avoiding each other." It was an observation that Gideon's voice turned into fact. Reid squirmed awkwardly, and then tried not to fidget. He didn't want to give anything away, especially not to Gideon … although, if Gideon was mentioning it, he already knew enough.

"We, um …" Reid hesitated. He didn't want to tell Gideon what was going on, but he also couldn't lie. He settled on a half-truth. "We're working on it."

Gideon nodded in acceptance and said nothing more about it, but Reid knew that the back of his neck would prickle under the weight of the profiler's gaze for the next few weeks at least.

...

"If I figure it out, does it earn me a night of passionate love making?" Garcia asked, playful hope in her voice. Morgan chuckled.

"Most definitely, sweetness. With Reid. Bye," he added, and Garcia groaned jokingly. Morgan was still laughing as he hung up, aware that Reid had looked up curiously at the mention of his name and was bound to either ask, or come to his own insecure assumptions. He needed a distraction, especially from the images his own words had provided, and Garcia had just given him the perfect one.

"Hey Reid. Garcia said it's not Karen, it's actually something more like –"

"Charown," Gideon interrupted, bursting in and planting himself squarely in front of Reid. Morgan's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance, which was quickly forgotten as Gideon carried on talking.

...

Reid settled uncomfortably beside Morgan and glanced over at his colleague. He didn't look up, and Reid internally corrected Gideon. They weren't avoiding each other; it was all Morgan.

"Gideon's noticed we aren't talking," Reid said, deciding to be blunt. Morgan took his time pausing his music player before he looked round, feigning ignorance.

"We aren't talking?" the innocence on his face riled Reid up. This denial had been present in the attic of Richard Slessman's house in Seattle, and it incited the same angry reaction as before.

"Morgan!" Reid protested hotly, drawing Hotch's attention. Gideon was watching them closely as it was, a fact Morgan suddenly became aware of. He frowned and leaned closer to Reid so that he could speak softly.

"Look, Reid –"

"Before you screwed things up, we were friends," Reid spoke over him, but quietly. He didn't want the others to know either. Morgan was silent, his dark eyes assessing Reid's face. "I'm all for going back to that. Why aren't you?" Reid pressed. Morgan turned back to face the couch opposite, but he didn't put his music back on. Instead, he brooded. He did want to be Reid's friend, so why was he ignoring him? Why were his moods turning from hot to cold?

He knew, on some level, that he feared becoming close to the younger man again. Whatever emotions and thoughts had driven him to kiss Reid were dangerous ones, and he couldn't risk provoking them. Staying away from Reid until they'd completely vanished was the most logical thing to do, but he was struggling with that. The job they did threw them into intensely close quarters with the same people, sometimes for several weeks straight, so he couldn't avoid Reid, and besides, he didn't feel that avoidance was making the issue go away.

And on top of that, he didn't _want_ to stay away, even though he knew he needed to for a little while. The circle of thought went round and round in his mind.

Reid gave him almost an hour to provide an answer, but Morgan couldn't give him one, and finally, the genius went to play chess with Gideon. Morgan didn't say another word the whole way home.


	3. 1x03  'Won't Get Fooled Again'

**1x03 - 'Won't Get Fooled Again'**

**_Morgan elects to stay behind when the team investigates a bomber._  
**

"Copy that," Morgan murmured. He felt a small twinge of guilt at using Gideon as an excuse so that his main motive went by unnoticed: space from the doctor who was disrupting his thoughts. A case worked apart would give him a few days to get his head straight. It was more than enough time, surely?

...

Morgan picked up his phone and checked the name. He suppressed a groan but didn't consider letting it ring. It could be important. All the same … the space he'd orchestrated was worthless if Reid just started calling him instead.

"Morgan," he answered professionally.

"I have a bunch of Walker's e-mails from Bale's computer," Reid said quickly down the line. "I'm going to forward them to you for you to look over." Morgan frowned.

"Can't you look over them?" he asked. After all, Reid was the genius.

"No, I'm busy. You're the one doing nothing at Quantico," Reid added spitefully.

Morgan shivered. "Ouch!" he complained, attempting banter. Reid stayed silent. "What was that for?" Morgan pushed.

"What was that for?" Reid exclaimed angrily down the line with familiar rage. "You weren't the only one who could have died seven months ago but you don't see me hiding out in the office!" Morgan immediately became defensive.

"Hey, I am not hiding out –"

"You are hiding from Gideon, from yourself – from me too!" Reid hissed down the line. Morgan gaped for a moment.

"Why the hell would I be hiding from you?" he asked coldly, falling back on his only tool: denial.

"Because you kissed me." Morgan gritted his teeth and for what felt like the thousandth time kicked himself for his stupid actions.

"Would you let that go –" he asked, tired and regretful.

"No!" Reid exclaimed angrily. "I won't because you can't! You're the one who's ignoring me and begging off cases. Sort yourself out!"

Silence hung over the phone. Morgan sighed and closed his eyes, only sure that Reid was still there because of his heavy, but controlled breathing.

"Reid –"

"I'm sending the e-mails. I'll see you back at Quantico." The line went dead and Morgan slowly closed his phone whilst rubbing his eyes. There was no question over whether Reid was right or not. Reid was always right. It was Morgan who had the problem. It was Morgan who had to fix it.

And space, it seemed, was not helping at all.

**NB** Sorry this was so short, but there wasn't a whole load of interaction in this episode ... But 1x04 is Reid's birthday; will Morgan get over his issues and be Reid's friend again?


	4. 1x04 'Plain Sight'

**1x04 - 'Plain Sight'**

**_It's Reid's birthday, and while the team are investigating a murdering rapist, Morgan and Reid are trying to be friends._  
**

"Make a wish!" Elle cooed, and Reid began to blow at the numerous candles adorning his chocolate cake. He was touched by the whole affair, which had, from his deductions, been Morgan's idea.

The tall man was standing right behind him, and the thought was distracting … With one large breath, Reid doused every flame and was applauded by Elle, Morgan and JJ.

"That's my boy!" Morgan declared proudly, and Reid felt a warm tingle as Morgan forced the ridiculous birthday hat he'd also bought further onto his head. As if Reid didn't feel like a kid enough in front of his bosses Gideon and Hotch, who were watching happily from a few feet away.

"Isn't it amazing he knows what he knows and he's only twenty-four?" Hotch mused, and Gideon smiled.

"Imagine what he'll know by fifty," he replied.

Elle and JJ began to pull the candles out of the sticky icing. "I hope you like chocolate," JJ said, and Morgan piped up.

"He does." Reid felt another shot of warmth run down his spine. Morgan had bought him a cake he knew he'd like. A phone rang in the background and Reid glanced over at it, keen to extricate himself from the situation long enough to remove the ridiculous hat he was wearing.

"Agent Hotchner?" Anderson called after answering the phone.

"Oh, there's blue wax on the cake, man!" Morgan complained. He'd wanted this to be perfect: it was his apology.

Hotch hurried past the group, watched by the envious Reid, and took the phone from Anderson.

Seeing an opportunity, Reid leapt up and began to walk towards Gideon. Surely no one would stop him from going over to someone who was alone?

Morgan caught Reid just before he hurried off in escape with a, "Reid!" The genius turned back; that ridiculous hat still perched on his head. "What you said about us being friends?" Morgan said quietly, and watched the emotion in Reid's eyes switch from wary to hopeful.

"Yeah?" Morgan held out his hand, and Reid took it with a smile.

"Happy birthday, man." Morgan half-embraced the thinner man, who continued to smile gratefully.

"Thanks Morgan." Reid slowly released Morgan's hand and walked away to Gideon. Morgan watched and nodded to himself. He'd made the right decision. Space messed with them, but being friends? The platonic nature of friendship would sort all of this out, and it would stop them both from obsessing about whether they could be friends again or not.

Morgan had conveniently ignored the fact that he and Reid had been friends when everything had gone to hell.

Reid approached Gideon, still smiling, and his mentor was glad. The conversation he'd witnessed could only be good news.

"Are you having fun?" he asked, and Reid nodded.

"Yes. Definitely. I am definitely having fun," Reid lied with a wry smile. He hated attention, even though he loved the thought behind the gesture.

"Did you make a wish?" Gideon probed, and Reid glanced up at the rim of the hat he still wore longingly.

"Can I take this hat off?" Gideon thought about it for a moment, taking in the full extent of the foam candles and 'Birthday Girl' slogan.

"I wouldn't," he replied honestly with a small shake of his head.

Reid smiled a little, and it only served to accentuate the bags under his eyes. He'd been losing sleep, and Gideon was sure it was over the conflict with Morgan. But it seemed as though it was on the way to being sorted, and he would do whatever was necessary to keep it that way.

"Hey pretty boy," Morgan called, teasing. "First piece is yours!" Reid blinked in surprise, before glancing at Gideon.

"Even if he means it to mock me, he's the only person who's ever called me pretty," he murmured. Gideon watched as Reid wondered back to the table, the cake, and the million-dollar smile Morgan was aiming at him.

"Happy birthday," JJ smiled as Reid tucked in to the chocolate mass.

"Birthday boy!" Morgan and Elle teased, their smiles good-natured. It was all so deliciously normal that Reid's smile was genuine.

Hotch hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Sorry guys," he called to the team. They all looked up, mouths swollen with cake. "Party's over," Hotch informed them regretfully.

...

"A dialogue betwixt death and a lady," Reid explained. Morgan would never get over how much information Reid's mind could not only hold, but summon at a moment's notice. Gideon smiled proudly, and Morgan knew exactly how he felt.

"You should see what happens when you type the word 'death' into a search engine," Reid said, his eyes alight.

At that moment, it was impossible for Morgan to remember why he had kissed the kid. Morgan laughed, feeling more like a friend than he had in months.

"Reid, no wonder you can't get a date!" he teased.

Reid smiled politely, unsure if he was pleased Morgan was teasing him once more or not. He didn't even consider the subject of the joke: if he did, he'd merely become depressed by how true it was.

...

"Ballads," Reid corrected hesitantly, and Morgan, still horrified by the death comment, dismissed him with a casual,

"Whatever."

Reid looked down. He almost missed the awkward silences. Gideon glanced between them, and strengthened his own convictions.

...

"Do you think it's weird that I knew that ballad?" Reid asked, not looking up from the Rubix cube he'd untangled in five minutes. The cop he'd borrowed it from had been working on it for five years.

Elle laughed. "I don't know how it is that you know half the things you know, but I'm glad you do," she replied.

It wasn't what Reid had wanted to hear, so he asked another question.

"Do you think that's why I can't get a date?" he asked, dropping his voice. All the same, Morgan heard, although he made no outward sign that he had.

Elle waited until Reid looked up at her. "You ever asked anyone out?" she asked. Reid thought for a moment.

"No."

Elle shrugged. "That's why you can't get a date."

Reid considered that and nodded. It made logical sense. Morgan almost swore. His horror at Reid's morbidity had vanished in a heartbeat as he remembered Reid's lack of confidence and therefore a social life outside the BAU. No wonder he looked up things on the internet … and at the end of the day, Morgan was glad he did. It could have taken them hours to find the ballad if he hadn't already read it. It was so Reid.

Morgan remembered that motel room so many weeks ago now, where they'd finished a case with a dangerous, but ultimately satisfying result. He remembered Reid gabbling on about flight patterns as they packed in the room they'd been forced to share. Morgan's blood was still filled with adrenaline. He could remember the way his heart had been beating fast and hard in his chest. He'd laughed, finding joy in Reid's ramblings and the blush his laughter provoked. The world had seemed a little brighter. It had only been natural for him to clasp Reid's shoulder and feel his angular bones under soft skin. Reid had frozen, as he always did when someone touched him, then relaxed. He trusted Morgan. They were friends.

Morgan had been infused with a unique sense of the privilege Reid had bestowed upon him. The young genius smiled at him, a little hesitantly, moderately cautiously, and it had been so adorable, so irresistible, Morgan had felt compelled to lean forward and –

Morgan groaned and dropped his head onto the table with a loud thud, causing both Elle and Reid to look round, surprised. He was back where he'd started.

...

Morgan adjusted his rear view mirror, tapped his fingers on his leg, and sighed. He looked at his watch, angry at how quickly time was slipping through their fingers.

"It's ten thirty already," he complained.

"All he said was tomorrow," Reid reminded him, trying to calm him down. "He didn't specify morning."

Morgan glanced round. "Reid, this guy's got to spend a lot of time in that house," he replied, explaining what Reid may not have considered. "He needs it to be morning."

Reid nodded his agreement and seemed to catch Morgan's restlessness. He looked round, exasperated. "Are we sure this is a good spot?" he asked, trying hard not to fidget with the binoculars he held. He didn't want to seem even more like a child than he already did.

Morgan nodded. "Three of the victims lived within a block of this street. It's the main artery through the neighbourhood."

"True," Reid agreed, and then carried on, explaining the flaw in Morgan's theory. "But three victims in the same block could mean he's done with the area."

Morgan, of course, argued back. "Or that he's just really familiar with it."

Reid nodded, recognising that an upset Morgan wasn't a Morgan he could win against. "And comfortable in it," he agreed.

Morgan sighed. He wasn't even content to get his own way! "But then on the other hand, the other victims lived more than a mile in either direction," he sighed.

"Right," Reid agreed again.

Morgan clenched his jaw and slammed both hands against the steering wheel. Reid jumped at the impact of flesh on leather, remembering when that rage had been directed at him.

"God, I hate not having a plan!" Morgan hissed, not noticing Reid's discomfort. "We're looking for a needle in a haystack!"

"Actually," Reid stammered, trying to distract himself, "it's more like we're looking for a needle in a pile of needles."

Morgan looked round with a frown. Sure, beside Reid, he looked like a dumb kid, but Derek Morgan was a smart man. He still didn't understand Reid most of the time, and this was a prime example.

"What?" he asked, sceptical.

"A needle would stand out in a hay stack," Reid pointed out. Morgan chuckled. Reid's logic was often so simple, almost childlike, and yet, it was these simple but sophisticated connections that made him the genius and Morgan the dumb kid.

"Ok," Morgan agreed. "And we're not looking for somebody who stands out."

"No, we're looking for a particular needle in a pile of needles," Reid replied, and began to look around through his binoculars. Morgan watched him, his mind slowly sliding away and remembering the surprise on Reid's innocent face; the smooth, freshly-shaven cheek; the slightly chapped lips –

"You're staring," Reid mumbled, his cheeks tinged pink. Morgan looked away without a word and tightened his hold on the steering wheel. What was going on with him at the moment? When had Reid changed from the annoying little boy – almost his kid brother! – to the reason Morgan's thoughts never stayed on track? And in their line of work, that was more than just dangerous. The steering wheel creaked ominously and he dropped his hands to his lap, forcing his eyes to scan the streets and not wonder if Reid was doing the same.

...

The car skidded to a halt and Morgan leapt out. Reid followed. He wasn't even shaky: true, Morgan had been going over the limit, but Reid trusted him implicitly, still. There was nothing to fear.

...

"You're coming with me, right?" asked Reid.

"No," Gideon replied calmly. Reid gaped for a moment, insecure immediately. "There's someone else on the plane who is a huge football fan."

Confusion splayed across Reid's face.

"Who?" he asked.

"The only person who has ever called you pretty," Gideon replied. Reid blinked rapidly and turned the tickets over his hands.

"Morgan?" he stammered, and Gideon smiled indulgently. This team needed to be full of comfortable and co-operative people, and this football game could secure that.

"He used to play in college." Reid coughed nervously under Gideon's scrutiny. He should have known that nothing escaped Gideon's notice. In fact, he knew Gideon had already noticed, after the query on the college campus about whether they'd sorted out their problem. Now, he seemed to be sorting it out for them. Could he truly know the extent of the situation?

"But … what should I say?" Reid asked, and Gideon just sat with his knowing smile firmly in place. Reid sighed and made to stand up, when he glanced back at the chessboard and moved his knight. "Checkmate."

Gideon's head snapped up as, with a smug smile, Reid moved to sit opposite Morgan and tapped the table in front of him to get the man's attention off his music. Gideon smiled to himself: Reid was finally getting it.

"What's up?" Morgan asked, sliding his headphones off his head; part glad Reid was sitting with him, part frustrated at his being glad.

"I have two tickets to a, uh, football game," Reid began, pushing them onto the table. Morgan picked them up and his eyebrows rose appreciatively.

"VIP, nice." Reid nodded and cleared his throat.

"You used to play, right?" Morgan nodded. He'd known where this was going the moment Reid mentioned there being two of the tickets. He also knew what his answer would be when Reid finally asked.

"In college," Morgan revealed. "Busted my knee in my sophomore year." Reid made an appropriately sorrowful face.

"Would you, um … that is, if you're not busy …" Reid sighed to himself and leaned forwards secretively. "I don't have a clue how football works." Morgan grinned.

"The master has become the student!" he smirked, but quietly so that Hotch and JJ across the small gap between seats couldn't hear them.

"Would you come with me?" Reid asked, his cheeks tinged pink. "So I know what's going on? Gideon got me the tickets, and they seem expensive –"

Morgan rested a hand over Reid's wrist to stop him before he went into his full-rant-mode.

"Sure thing, pretty boy." Reid smiled softly, and Morgan quickly picked up the tickets to examine the date. It was just a football game, he told himself. What harm could it do?

**NB** Yeah, this is kindof a date lol. I love this episode and the JJ/Reid aspect of it, but I could hardly let them go on a date instead of Morgan could I? Lol. So, how do you think the date will go?


	5. 1x05 'Broken Mirror'

**1x05 – 'Broken Mirror'**

**_While the team are investigating a kidnapping, Morgan and Reid can't help flirting just a little._**

"Hey Reid!" Morgan called, catching up to the younger man, whose arms were filled with files. "That game last night was fun. Let's do it again!" Reid laughed quietly.

"I didn't get any of it!" he complained.

"And I find that very fun," Morgan replied with a wink. Reid shook his head, bemused, as they were approached by an attractive dark skinned woman.

"Derek!" she called out.

"Hey," Morgan replied, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Hey. I put the transcript from the last prison interview on your desk." Morgan frowned, confused, as she walked in between him and Reid, plainly ignoring the genius he'd been talking to.

"Ok. It wasn't classified rush: you could have sent it inner office," he replied, and she smiled flirtatiously over her shoulder at him.

"Could have," she agreed, and sauntered off. Morgan watched her go with a smug smile as two more female employees passed him and Reid, shooting him appreciative looks.

His ego stroked, Morgan chuckled and slid an arm over Reid's shoulder to pull him away from the hot spot. He could feel the ridges and dips between Reid's bones. Women who were too skinny had never appealed to Morgan – he hated the feel of skin on bone – but with Reid … Morgan stopped his train of thought. This was all about desensitizing himself.

"Must be tough," Reid commented dryly, and Morgan shook his head.

"Not really," he teased.

"You don't do anything, and these women are throwing themselves at you!" Reid complained, his tone definitely jealous, but whether it was of Morgan or the women was indiscernible.

"Strictly off limits Reid," Morgan told him firmly, soothing the wound somewhat but rousing fresh suspicions in the genius's mind as Morgan guided them to their joint desks separated by a thin plastic panel.

"There's no code of conduct that says agents can't socialise," Reid reeled off, falling back on his knowledge instead of asking what Morgan meant outright.

"Yeah, well, see, my code of survival says never mess with a woman carrying a gun!" Morgan replied, slapping Reid lightly on the shoulder before breaking the contact. Reid hesitated as Morgan slid into his seat, and felt the restriction keeping him from asking direct questions had vanished along with the weight of Morgan's muscular arm.

"So it's not that they're FBI employees?" Morgan met his gaze.

"No."

A current sizzled through the air between them, and Reid quickly hurried to his desk, dropping the files messily as Elle hurried past him. They'd had a few moments like this at the game the night before.

They were becoming all too frequent for either man to be comfortable with. Maybe desensitization was like medicine – it had to get worse before it got better?

...

"I never said whack job," Morgan corrected Elle. Footsteps alerted him to someone approaching –

"Actually, there may be a physiological basis for it," Reid informed them both, and Morgan sighed. Elle smiled smugly.

"Don't ask," Morgan ordered her, but Reid had already started reeling off everything he'd just learned. Elle's smile grew.

"Reverse-day symmetry monozygotic eggs split late, between nine to twelve days. The DNA matches right down to the very last stranded code, but there is sporadic documentation of shared physiological pain," Reid recited it word for word, the page looming in the air before him.

Morgan looked away, feigning exasperation, while he really tried not to look at Reid's glazed eyes. The sight of Reid in mid-flow was too familiar.

"And you believe it?" he asked, determined to force his thoughts onto safer ground.

"No, I'm just saying it's possible," Reid corrected. "I don't know everything," he added as Hotch approached. "I mean, despite the fact that you think I do."

Morgan frowned. "I never said that! When have I ever said that?" he complained.

"Every day since I met you – last night at the game, three times," Reid replied.

"This morning at breakfast," Elle offered.

"Yesterday when he beat you at cards," Hotch added for good measure. Morgan shook his head but smiled at Reid, who smiled back, forgiving.

...

"Autistic tendencies of the insecure Doctor Reid." Reid's head jerked slightly and Morgan, compelled by an inner urge, reached out and lay his hand heavily on one thin shoulder.

...

"That token Derek Morgan who wants to be taken seriously, but is just a trumped up side of beef!" Morgan chuckled silently, then his expression grew serious as Reid squeezed the hand resting on his shoulder, smiling slightly at him. The unsub's untrue words that had worried him for a moment were now no more than a joke. Morgan squeezed Reid's shoulder once more and pulled his hand away.

...

"Morgan?" Reid asked, running over to help the man. "Thanks, I got it," he told the officer, who nodded and walked away. "How are you feeling?" Reid asked as he helped him to the ambulance.

"Like I've been tazered," Morgan replied, trying to smile. Reid smiled at him. "'_Reid will kick my ass'_." Reid blinked and stopped their progress.

"What?" he asked, and Morgan looked at him tiredly.

"It's what I thought when he got me," he replied. "_'Reid will kick my ass if he's killed me'_." Reid smiled slightly. Part of him wanted to analyse that, but, remembering what Gideon had said, he decided that no, he wouldn't over-analyse. He would enjoy the moment and the warmth that sentence gave him.

"Keep thinking that," he encouraged, and this time, Morgan did smile.

**NB** Sorry it's a bit short but ... how do you feel about maybe having a second kiss next time?


	6. 1x06 'LDSK'

**1x06 - 'L.D.S.K.'**

**_On the hunt for a sniper, Morgan oversteps the line whilst trying to protect Reid._  
**

"Reid failed his qualification," Elle told Gideon as he strolled past.

"He can retest in two weeks," Gideon replied, completely unperturbed.

Elle nodded. "Yeah, but he's going to be embarrassed about it, so let's not mention it," she added weight to the last words, looking pointedly at Morgan.

"Yeah, let's not, huh?" Gideon seconded.

Morgan widened his eyes and spread his hands innocently. Teasing Reid was probably not a wise move. It was too close to before, but if he didn't, everyone would think something was wrong. The inner turmoil made him uncomfortable. "Not a word," he murmured.

Reid entered at that moment, eyes averted as he walked towards his desk. Morgan glanced up at him and made a split second decision. He reached into his drawer as he crossed to stand beside Reid's desk. Elle's eyes followed him suspiciously.

"Hey," Morgan greeted softly. Reid looked up. "We're all here for you."

Reid returned to organising the files on his desk with scepticism in his eyes.

"I'm serious," Morgan added.

Reid looked up, weary and wanting to get this over with.

"If you ever need anything," Morgan said, hanging the cotton cord around Reid's neck. Reid frowned at him as he did so, confused, until he saw what hung on the end of the cord. Morgan blew quickly into the whistle.

"Just blow on it," Morgan teased as the whistle landed against Reid's jumper. Elle sighed as Morgan ambled back to his desk.

Reid flung the whistle onto his desk, enraged, and Morgan laughed, mostly to cover up how adorable he found the action.

"You blow on it," he heard Reid hiss to himself as he smoothed his hair back. "You jerk!" He glanced at Elle, who was smiling sympathetically at Reid, but before Morgan could say anything, JJ had arrived at their desks.

...

"Reid!" Morgan cried, running towards the unaware man.

"What?" Reid turned, and his eyes widened with surprise to see Morgan coming straight at him.

"Get down!" Morgan dragged Reid to the ground, laying over him protectively.

"What the hell are you –" Reid began to protest, but Morgan's lips crashed onto his. The proximity of their bodies; the swell of rage in Reid's eyes; the itch he'd been tortured by ever since that first kiss weeks earlier, and Morgan was out of control.

His kiss was bruising and passionate, forcing Reid's lips apart in order to deepen it and get his first _real_ taste of Spencer Reid.

It was then he realised Reid's hands, clutching his shoulders, were pulling him closer, not pushing him away. Reid was kissing him back.

Instantly, Morgan rolled off, panting for air. He could hear the same sounds from Reid beside him, and prayed they hadn't been seen.

"Get down!" he heard Gideon shout again. Without thinking, he grabbed Reid and dragged him behind a tree. Again, their bodies were pressed flush against each other. Reid was staring at Morgan out of dazed eyes.

Morgan grabbed him and kissed him again, roughly and caustically. Once again, Reid kissed back, surprising Morgan with his own passion, skill, and need. Morgan drew away more slowly this time, and they stared at each other for a long moment.

"What's going on?" Reid whispered. His lips were full and red, and Morgan didn't hear a word that came out of them. He made to kiss him again –

"Morgan! Reid!" it was Elle approaching. Morgan shot back as though he'd been burned, and Reid reached up to push his hair behind his ears, almost obsessively trying to smooth it. "You two alright?" Elle asked as she reached them.

"Fine," Morgan said as he ran up to Gideon on the tarmac, leaving Elle and Reid behind.

Elle looked at Reid in bemusement. "Was it something I said?"

Reid kept his head ducked and let her lead him to Hotch, his arms wrapped round himself, trying to understand what the hell had just happened.

...

Gideon was the first into the ER, but Morgan was barely a whisper behind him. He ran straight for Reid, his chest loosening, as he helped the man to his feet.

"You ok, Reid?"

The young genius nodded, but held out the plasti-cuffs. "Can you get these off?"

Morgan nodded instantly. "Sure thing."

He hurried Reid over to the nurse's desk, picked up a pair of scissors, and cut Reid's wrists free. "Better?"

Reid rubbed his wrists in silence.

"Morgan," he finally spoke, "we need to sort this out." He looked up, big brown eyes meeting Morgan's; pinning him in place.

"I know."

Reid nodded as Gideon arrived beside them.

...

Reid stood up, feeling the heaviness of the gun dragging at his left side. It made him smile. He turned to see Morgan approaching him. "Reid, you alright?"

Reid answered by throwing something at Morgan, who caught and held up the whistle with a grin. "Touché, kid."

Reid bristled.

"I'm not a kid." Morgan slowly slid the whistle into his pocket. "You kissed me again –"

"I know," Morgan spoke over him, eyes still downcast.

"Why?"

Their eyes met, and Morgan sighed. "I wasn't thinking. It was more of an instinct."

Reid frowned. "Are you gay?"

Morgan's head snapped round immediately. "I've never liked a guy, Reid."

Reid raised an eyebrow. "Except me."

Morgan frowned at that presumption. "Who says I like you?"

Reid blushed. "I could um … our bodies were really close …"

Morgan was instantly mortified. They both kept quiet for a moment. "Fine," Morgan amended. "I've never liked a guy … except you." Reid folded his arms across his chest, still bright red. "I don't know what to tell you," Morgan stated honestly, "Except that it won't happen again."

Reid scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat anxiously. "What if err … what if I didn't mind if … if it, err … happened again?"

Morgan drew in a breath of suddenly dangerous air. "It won't happen again, Reid." Morgan went to cross to the police cars.

"You said that last time," Reid murmured under his breath. Morgan hesitated, but then continued to walk away without a glance back.

**NB** - So, for the first time, Reid admits that he wants Morgan too. Did you like it? =] Of course, Morgan is going to keep his distance for a while so I may combine episodes seven and eight into one chapter so we can get to 1x09 quicker. I have planned out the rest of Season One so I know where everything is going now, but if you guys have any suggestions as to what you'd like to happen, I'd still love to hear them =] Reviews are gold!


	7. 1x07 & 1x08

**1x07 – 'The Fox'**

**_Families are being killed in their homes whilst Morgan and Reid studiously avoid each other._  
**

There wasn't what you would call tension between Morgan and Reid. More like a lack of, well, anything. They were both trying their hardest to pretend that nothing had happened. They hadn't kissed again. Nothing was different.

Of course, everything was different, and of course, only Gideon noticed. Whether his assumptions about the cause were right or wrong, he had decided to take matters into his own hands yet again. since orchestrating situations in which they spent time together had not had the desire long-lasting effect Gideon had hoped for, he decided to do exactly the opposite and give them both plenty of time and space apart in which to regain their focus.

Hopefully. That was the plan. Whether it panned out that way was a whole other story.

When Reid looked at the picture of Eric Miller, a tall, broad-shoulder African-American and commented on his ability to use overwhelming force, Gideon knew this would be the perfect place to start. Time to build of Reid's confidence when faced with an Alpha male with the same physique as Morgan.

"I want you to find out," he told Reid, placing the interview solely on Reid's shoulders.

The atmosphere at the table shifted slightly.

"Err, you want me to err … talk to him?" Reid repeated with his usual stutter.

"Yeah," Gideon replied. Reid glanced round the table in surprise, focusing on Morgan, whose eyebrows were pulled together with concern. Reid alone in a room with a possible murderer? He did not like that sound of that!

Reid looked back up at Gideon, trying to understand his motives.

"You've done interrogations before with other agents running point: you can go solo."

Morgan looked down, not sure how he felt about the idea of Reid doing so. He was a genius, sure … but he wasn't threatening enough to keep a murderer at bay in a tiny room without a gun.

Reid sat back, scratching his neck nervously and trying not to look too horrified at the prospect. Gideon reached for one of the photograph's of the Crawford house. He didn't look up when he spoke.

"Morgan, the Crawford house is a fresh crime scene." No one else would understand Gideon's motives, and he wasn't in any hurry to share, but having Reid do the interview alone, and taking Morgan out to the house was the first stage in his new plan: Reid could have the opportunity to shine, and Morgan wouldn't be there to patronise or control him. His mind would be otherwise occupied. He'd seen Morgan at the hospital while Reid was held hostage with Hotch and several patients, nurses, and doctors. How could Reid grow with Morgan suffocating him?

And the fact that Reid and Morgan seemed to be returning to something closer to _before_ only further influenced Gideon's decision. Whatever choices they'd made, he didn't want to go against them, and if they'd chosen not to go down a certain path, then spending a little time apart might be an even better idea.

The case continued with little contact between the two men. Morgan heard about Reid's successful interrogation and twice dialled the genius's number in order to congratulate him. Both times, he aborted the call before it connected. When they were gathered in the round-table room, he didn't mention it.

During a raid on the brother of Mrs Crawford, Morgan was bought to the ground by a dog. Reid rushed along, pausing a few metres away. He was sacred of dogs, and from the looks of it, Morgan was too. At least, in that moment in time. But the threat passed. The dog was subdued by the arrival of the brother and Morgan was back on his feet, no worse for wear. They pointedly avoided looking at each other.

Reid was later sequestered with Garcia. He didn't mind that. He liked Garcia. She was kooky in the most fascinating way and clearly loved him like family. Being in a room with her was almost intoxicating. She made jokes that Reid didn't understand, and apparently thought his comments were jokes in response. And, of course, ended up doing something Reid was ninety nine point nine percent sure was illegal.

"Is that legal?" he couldn't help but ask nervously.

"Of course not. We'll both go to prison and you'll be someone's bitch," Garcia replied. Reid blinked, a vivid image of a Morgan-lookalike towering over him appearing in his mind.

"Really?" he sounded almost interested, but Garcia was already distracted by her find.

Morgan was wounded in the fight where he took down Carl Arnold, the unsub. Of course Morgan was wounded being the hero. Reid wanted to ask if he was ok, but held back and by the end of the day, with Hotch's discovery of multiple wedding rings suggested Arnold's kill rate was vastly higher than they could comprehend, neither were in the mood to talk about anything as complex and confusing as each other.

**1x08 – 'Natural Born Killer'**

**_Still avoiding each other, Morgan and Reid are both affected by the horrors of a torturing hitman._  
**

It had been several cases now where Morgan and Reid only interacted in a group setting. Whether by their own design or by Gideon's gentle manoeuvrings, they were always in two different places at the same time. No distractions from the job.

However, in those group settings, they were glancing at each other again. Enforced distance was all well and good when you didn't miss the person you were distancing yourself from. Both wondered how long until they cracked and started up an innocent conversation that would, given their past history, lead somewhere less innocent and more dangerous.

More time, then. A lot more time. And hope that they could endure until whatever this was died down enough to be manageable again. To just friendship. Maybe not even that? Just colleagues who were friendly in a strictly platonic sense.

Spending time with Garcia had become normal for Reid lately, and although he enjoyed Garcia's company, he wanted to get out. he was being treated like a child again, kept safe and sound inside. He was a field agent, goddamn it!

But Elle was with them too, so, he guessed it wasn't really about that.

And then Garcia started doing something illegal again. He made it into a joke – he was becoming quite used to her law-breaking habits – but his smile was fake. He couldn't help remembering that last time he and Garcia had done something illegal, and the vision of a Morgan-like convict making him his 'bitch' loomed in his mind.

Reid shook himself. That decided it: he was warped on the inside.

Morgan had also considered Reid's recent placements to be a good idea. Despite prolonged minimal contact being a good idea, when Reid was out in the field, Morgan worried. Whether or not he liked it, that was the truth. He worried about Reid. And he would rather go out of his way to keep the genius safe than avoid him.

So, what better, safer place for the boy wonder than locked up in Garcia-world? Away from the sociopath who had tried to kill Hotch. Both Reid and Garcia were spared the horror on Vincent Perotta

Morgan, relieved by the idea of not spending too much time with the all-too-tempting Dr Reid, was only too happy to orchestrate more. The fact that he missed the genius only strengthened his belief that prolonged minimal contact could only be a good thing.

His second reason – one that he wouldn't even confess to himself – was that he wanted Reid as far away as possible from the sociopath who'd tried to kill Hotch. And what safer place than with Garcia?

But then, the tapes surfaced. Tapes Garcia and Reid had watched, and Morgan sighed as he realised that no matter how hard he'd tried, he hadn't been able to fully protect Reid and Garcia from the horror of the torturing hitman.

Why did he even bother trying, he wondered, as he watched Reid pack up for the day. Their eyes met momentarily before Reid hurried away. Morgan did not avert his gaze, and stared at the doors for a long while after Reid had exited through them.

**NB** - Since there was practically zilch to work with in these episodes, I've combined them into one chapter to show where Morgan and Reid are now, after their second kiss. Next time, Reid's life is put in danger - how do you think Morgan will respond to that? Reviews are gold =]


	8. 1x09 'Derailed'

**1x09 - 'Derailed'**

_**When Elle is ****taken hostage on a train, Reid is put in danger in order to save her.**_

Morgan could have burst into song as Reid murmured the phrase, "Tardive dyskinesia". It rolled of the genius' tongue like honey, yet Morgan knew he couldn't even read it from a piece of paper. He'd missed Reid's brilliant mind these past few weeks.

"Once again for those of us without an encyclopaedic memory?" he teased. JJ grinned as Reid glanced back at him.

"Severe facial tics; the kind that develop after years of taking anti-psychotic medication," Reid recited.

"So this guy's a psychotic?" Morgan asked to clarify, trying not to smile.

...

Morgan's heavy hand landed on Reid's shoulder.

"A movie review isn't going to help us right now," he instructed Reid, who nodded frantically. Both of them were sparking from the contact, even if it wasn't skin-to-skin. Reid could remember Morgan pushing him down during the sniper case, and was instantly blushing, eager to escape the intoxicating hold of Morgan's fingers.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he stammered, hurrying off to the mobile communications unit. Unfortunately, Morgan followed him, but with air between them, it was easier to remember Elle's life hung in the balance.

...

"We could conceal a chip in the palm, and with a little slight of hand," said Reid, demonstrating with his long, slender fingers.

"Come on, Reid, what are you you talking about? A magic trick?" scoffed Morgan. A magic trick. He should have known that Reid would go in for something like that. He could have been amused if he weren't horrified.

"Yeah, I'm talking about a magic trick!" exclaimed Reid, surprisingly confidant. This was his area of expertise after all.

"No," said Hotch without any hesitation, and Morgan exhaled deeply with relief.

"I used to do it during college exams," Reid hurried to explain, and Morgan cocked an eyebrow. "I can make it appear. I can make it disappear." As Reid demonstrated yet again, Morgan had an image of Reid disappearing a cheat sheet up his sleeve. Not that he'd need to or anything.

"We can't risk giving him another agent as a hostage," said Hotch calmly, unimpressed.

"We have to do something!" Reid complained, and he looked effortlessly noble and it spurred Morgan into action. He stood, facing Reid, shaking out his limbs and ignoring the slight widenning of Reid's pupils.

"Alright, Reid. Let's go. Teach it to me," Morgan demanded, and Reid scoffed.

"What? No." his tone was dismissive, something Morgan very rarely heard from the genius.

"Look, if you can do it, I can do it," Morgan replied, arrogantly. Reid's nose screwed up. "Show it to me."

"I've been practicing this my whole life. We have less than thirty minutes," Reid pointed out, and Morgan began to feel something clench in his gut. The idea of Reid walking onto that train, into a lethal and unpredicatable situation, made Morgan feel sick with terror.

"Reid! I am not about to let you get on that train with an armed psychotic!" hegestured wildly, pointing at the train and grabbing Reid's shoulder at the same time, experiencing the same rush as earlier.

"We don't have any other choice, do we?" Reid's reply was rational, but Morgan still thought they were talking crazily.

"No," Gideon agreed, standing up with a sigh. "We don't have any other choice."

Morgan gazed at Reid, imploring him to change his mind. Reid met his gaze – trembling, but standing his ground. They realised they were trapped in the middle of another of the moments they'd had before the sniper case, but this time, they were loathe for it to end. Because when it did, Reid was walking in to danger.

...

Morgan tightened the straps of the FBI bulletproof vest he'd put on his colleague. "Reid, do not take this vest off," he said slowly. Reid nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "In hostage situations, SWAT sometimes won't even tell the negotiator when they're deciding to go in, do you know why that is?" Morgan coached, trying not to notice the angles of Reid's slender body.

Reid nodded and recited, "Because the slightest change in tone of voice or choice of words can give the whole thing away."

Morgan patted his shoulders in an act of praise. "That's right."

Reid smiled nervously.

"_Don't_ make eye contact with Elle," Morgan continued. "You're a technician; you've never seen her before."

"Got it," Reid nodded.

Morgan looked deep into his eyes for a moment. "Remember; play into the guy's fantasy. Believe it yourself," was the last piece of advice he could think to give. There were countless other things he wanted to say or do, but there was a time and a place.

"Actually, did you know that dentists and surgeons have been recruited to secretly implant these during otherwise normal medical procedures?" Reid rattled off. "This has been happening on and off since the late nineteen thirties."

Morgan stared at Reid, who smiled guiltily.

"You told me to believe," he reminded the taller man, who chuckled.

"Let's go," he decided, reaching out and squeezing Reid's shoulder. "Just be careful," he warned. "I'll kick your ass if you get killed."

Reid laughed, remembering the twins kidnapping.

"I'll keep thinking that," he reassured, and warmth radiated from their smiles.

...

Reid began his long walk to the train, and Morgan's feet carried him after the boy. His hand fleetingly touched Reid's shoulder, who glanced back at him with a nervous smile. But was it just Morgan's eyes playing tricks on him, or had Reid's shoulders relaxed after the brief caress?

...

"We have two agents in there," Gideon whispered, closing his eyes in distress. Hotch glared at the screen, enraged, while Morgan quietly ground his teeth. He shouldn't have let this go ahead.

...

"He's gonna kill himself, and the hostages," Gideon explained to an unaware JJ. Her face went white while Morgan took a step back and rubbed at his face with despair. One person was already wounded. What if Reid was next?

...

A gun shot.

A single shard of metal had been spat into the air … but at whom?

Gideon was running to the train. Hotch was following. Morgan just stood and stared, his heartbeat loud in his ears.

The ambulance roared to the door of the train and in rushed the paramedics. The other hostages were led out by Elle … and followed by Reid.

Morgan smiled softly. His eyes met Reid's across the dusty ground, and he nodded. Reid nodded back. And they understood everything.

...

Morgan hesitated before climbing into the ambulance and looked over at Reid and Elle, talking amicably. His gut continued to slowly untie the knots it had created during the whole episode. It should have been an even split: half for Elle, half for Reid. But only a third could be contributed to worrying about Elle. The level of intensity Morgan's fear had reached over loosing the genius was frightening: after all, he had no stake to Reid. No claim. No excuse for such a heightened sense of affection.

Morgan sighed as he realised that was what he wanted: a claim to Doctor Reid that was above and beyond mere colleagues and occasional friends. But the only one available was not even an option Morgan could consider. He groaned and climbed into the ambulance. Sometimes, life really sucked.

**NB** - Reid gets in trouble again next time, and it forces Morgan and Reid even closer together, emotionally and physically. I hope you like this!


	9. 1x10 'The Popular Kids'

**1x10 - 'The Popular Kids'**

**_Reid is having nightmares and turns to Morgan for help as they investigate the possibility of a murdering Satanic cult._  
**

"Easy there tough guy, have some coffee with your sugar!" Morgan teased as he passed Reid on his way to the sink.

"I need something to wake me up," Reid replied. Morgan blinked.

"Late night?" he enquired as casually as he could.

"Very," the unaware Reid replied. Morgan slowly poured some coffee into his cup, a stony expression spreading over his features. Reid glanced at him, saw it, and correctly interpreted it. "Not that kind of late night."

Morgan forced himself to grin without any of the relief flooding his system.

"So," he turned the conversation away so that Reid would stop looking at him with such an unreadable expression on his face. "What does keep young Doctor Reid awake at night?" hearing the flirtatious tone to his own voice, Morgan quickly covered it up the only way he knew how: teasing. "Wait, let me guess. Memorising some obscure textbook?" Reid turned to face him sceptically. "No, no, no. Working on cold fusion? No, no, I got it, I got it! Watching Star Trek … and laughing at the physics mistakes." He chuckled at his own joke. Reid shook his head in bemusement.

"Actually, there aren't that many scientific errors in Star Trek, especially considering how long ago it was made." Morgan's smile began to fade. "There are certain improbabilities but not that many outright errors."

Morgan struggled for a response – Reid's intention – and finally settled for patting Reid's shoulder and saying; "Right."

Reid smiled wryly. He caught Morgan's arm as he was about to leave, seemingly wrestling with his mouth before he blurted out;

"Do you ever have dreams?"

Morgan felt his stomach turn over quickly as he tugged his arm back, unsteadying the doctor.

"I'm sorry?" he replied, stunned.

"I guess err … nightmares would be a more accurate description."

Relief and worry cascaded onto Morgan in equal doses. He stepped a little closer to Reid in concern and glanced at the too-sweet coffee he was holding.

"Is that what's keeping you up?" he deduced.

"I used to get them occasionally, but lately, it's like I have them every night," Reid replied.

"What are they about?"

"This," Reid responded too quickly, having anticipated the question. He glanced around the bullpen. "What we do." Morgan wanted to hug the younger man close; his tone was heartbreaking. "Do you have nightmares?"

Morgan hesitated. After their recent … moments, he couldn't divulge that kind of information. It was too much, too close, too soon.

"Reid, I'm not sure if I'm the right person for you to talk to about this," he replied calmly but frostily.

Reid frowned a little. "Why not?" he demanded.

Morgan shook his head. "It's just, err …" he broke off. He'd always fought to keep people at arms length, and why? Because trust needs to be earned, and no one had done enough. He shook his head again. No one. "Did you ask Gideon about it?"

Reid was the one to look away and shake his head. A tiny thrill went through Morgan: Reid valued his opinion before Gideon's.

"No."

"You should," Morgan replied softly, in a voice full of conviction. Reid gazed back at him, wondering why Morgan was refusing to help him.

"Hey!" Elle said as she walked past the pair. "Hotch wants everyone in the round-table room." She glanced back, and narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. "Is something up with you two -?"

"No!" Reid replied quickly and hurried past her. Elle shifted her gaze to Morgan, telling him silently she knew there was something. He watched Reid disappear from view before following, wondering at the snap in Reid's voice.

...

Reid realised in a moment where Hotch had got the information, and he looked round at the tall, dark and handsome Derek Morgan. It felt strange to look at him without the rush of unexplained emotions. Anger, red hot and all-consuming, was an unpleasant change, and it wrong-footed Reid. He looked back at Hotch, and kept his chin ducked.

...

"Morgan!" Reid called out, his voice tinged with anger. "You knew I didn't want to tell Hotch about my nightmares." Morgan approached warily.

"Reid, that's something they need to know about."

Reid's eyes flashed. "What do you mean, they?"

"Hotch and Gideon," Morgan replied.

Reid gaped for a moment in shock. "You told Gideon too?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, and it's ok, Reid –" Reid spoke over him angrily.

"What if they think I can't do my job?" he exclaimed. "What if they want to pull me off the team?"

Morgan shook his head firmly. "They won't." Reid scoffed.

"Oh yeah, how do you know that?" he spat out angrily. Morgan sighed deeply and spread his hands wide.

"I just do," he replied, and he knew it was a lame answer. He hurried quickly over the rough ground, and Reid slid after him.

"You had no right!" he called after Morgan. "I – I confided in you!" Morgan sighed deeply. "You know, this is exactly what happens when I trust someone!" Reid ranted. "It gets thrown back in my face!"

Morgan reacted on impulse.

"Mine started six months after I got into the BAU."

Silence hung between them. Reid was shocked by the statement, and Morgan was shocked that he'd made it.

"Yeah. Mine." Whether Morgan said that to assure Reid he was telling the truth, or to tell himself that he was really trusting Reid, he didn't know or care. He moved to sit on the edge of their car and ran his fingers over his shaven skull. Reid approached, pushing his hands deep into his pockets, waiting for the rest of the story.

Morgan folded his arms defensively across his chest.

"We were working a strangler case in Montana. Four victims. Me, I was still pretty young at the time, so I was feeling myself. I was cocky; I was arrogant," Morgan scowled with self-deprecation. The memories of that case still stung bitterly. "The locals, they didn't have anything, so I stepped up. I said, 'I can nail down a profile for you just as soon as I get what I need'."

Reid nodded softly. "More victims," he murmured.

Morgan made a noise of agreement, glaring at the floor. The memories resurfacing were exceedingly painful and if it were anyone but Reid that he had to go through this for –

"She was found the next day. So I went down to the scene to do my thing. And as I was looking over the body, that's when I saw them." Morgan looked up at Reid, and didn't know how to react to the sympathy shining out of the other man's face.

"Her eyes, Reid," Morgan whispered, his voice hoarse with inner pain. "They were wide open. And there was something different about them; it was like they were looking right at me. Like she knew. I asked for a victim. Well, here she was. That's when they started for me."

Reid nodded.

"Night after night I would fall asleep and I would see those eyes." Morgan was surprised by how easily the words continued to flow. Therapy must work after all. "They were dead eyes. Accusing eyes."

Reid shifted uncomfortably but continued to lap up every word.

"And it got to the point where it was happening even when I wasn't asleep. Reid, everywhere I went, I saw those eyes."

"What did you do?" Reid asked quietly.

"Gideon." The single word softened the air. "He knew: I didn't tell him! I was like you. I didn't want anybody to know. He just … he knew." Morgan shrugged. "And he sat me down and he … he just kind of talked me through it. I still have the nightmares to this day, just not nearly as often. But when they come back, I know how to handle them better."

Reid took a tentative step towards Morgan.

"What did he say?"

Too much, Morgan's mind screamed –

A car drew up alongside them, to Morgan's relief and Reid's disappointment.

...

"Reid! Reid!" Morgan cried as Corey grabbed the thin man and pointed a revolver into his soft brown hair. Morgan's own gun was aimed at the high school jock a second later. A second too late. The knots were back in his stomach – tied even tighter than they had been in Texas.

"Corey!" he called, but Corey shook his head.

"You've got it all messed up!"

Reid screwed up his face, hands spread in surrender.

"Don't be stupid," Morgan encouraged.

Corey moved the gun until it was right under Reid's chin and Morgan's heart skipped a beat. "She wasn't supposed to be with him," Corey tried to rationalise. "It was his run! He runs it every day – not her!"

Morgan took a deep breath. "Corey, listen to me. We can fix this. But you gotta let Reid go."

Corey shook his head. "I never meant to hurt her, but make no mistake. I will shoot your boy right now."

Morgan's soul screamed as the image of Reid, _his_ Reid, dead, eyes open, filled his mind. "No you won't," he declared, rejecting the thought before he vomited.

Corey pulled back the hammer with audible clicks.

Reid swallowed fearfully.

"_'Tempt_ _not a desperate man'_," Corey taunted, pressing the cold barrel into Reid's cheek. He gazed at Morgan, who ground his teeth together. "Put the gun down!" Corey shouted.

"Ok," Morgan exclaimed, spreading his fingers. Reid's life was too valuable for a stand off that he could lose. "You win."

"Drop it," Corey ordered coldly. "Drop the gun!"

"Ok," Morgan tried to soothe, obeying as he crouched carefully and lowered the gun to the leaf covered dirt beneath his feet. "I'm putting the gun down. You're in control, Corey. Let him go." He almost begged.

Corey looked anguished; out of control.

"'_For the evil is man's best force. Man must become better and eviller_'," Reid quoted loudly.

Morgan locked his eyes on to the thin face.

"What?" Corey asked.

"That's what this is all about, right? Zerathustra, the super man? '_There is no moral obligation for killing someone if you are superior to them'_? But Nietzsche was speaking metaphorically about evolving as a species!" Reid protested, and Morgan knew what he was doing.

"You're just a horny kid who wanted to get rid of the cheerleader's boyfriend," he taunted.

"No!" Corey shouted.

"Yes!"

"No! That was never my intention –" the gun swung to aim at Morgan, and Reid reacted. He pushed the gun out of the way, forcing its barrel upwards and a bullet was shot at the sky. Morgan immediately dived forwards, pinning Corey – and Reid – to the ground. He wrestled the gun away and punched Corey; a hard, brutal hit across his face, stunning the boy, who lay silently with unfocused eyes.

Morgan reached a hand out and grabbed Reid's bony shoulder, panting. The wonderful rush unknotted Morgan's intestines and he smiled joyfully. Reid had more lives than a cat!

"You alright?"

Reid was breathing deeply too. "What happened?" he exclaimed. Morgan gestured to Corey, whom he held with a hand around the boy's throat.

"Him bringing us down here was way too much of a coincidence," Morgan explained, and Reid shook his head.

"No, I got that. Did you have to tackle us both?" the indignation in his voice made Morgan chuckle. Now, the incident was just a joke. But seconds earlier …

"You're welcome Reid," Morgan replied. He looked up and their gazes locked. There it was, that urge to lean forward and claim Reid, but Morgan didn't. He was quite content to just gaze at Reid's delicate features and allow them to comfort him.

And then, sirens had filed the air, the moment was broken, and Morgan was dragging Corey over to the police cars while Reid collected both his breath and his mind.

...

Morgan sat down heavily on his bed, but something stopped him from crawling into it. With a sigh, he opened his phone and pressed speed dial three.

"Morgan?" the voice of Doctor Spencer Reid floated down the line.

"I just wanted to know if Gideon helped with your nightmares?" he asked, and almost heard Reid smile.

"Yeah, he helped me." The silence hovered. "Was there something else?"

Yes. So much that Morgan wanted to say. It was on the tip of his tongue. Yes. Yes. Yes, Reid, there is. I was worried when you told me you were having nightmares. I was terrified when Corey grabbed you. And now, I'm nervous about what's going to happen next.

"No," Morgan replied with a sigh. "Nothing."

He hung up and lay back. He'd said nothing … he would never say anything. And in a few weeks, the chance will have passed, and they'll just be Reid and Morgan again. Nothing more. Nothing.

**NB - **Yeah, 'cos every time Morgan makes that decision, it lasts! Lol I'll probably combine a the next few episodes, they're very thin on the ground! I hope you like this. I considered putting in something physical, but decided that having their interaction be purely emotional would show that their feelings are getting stronger and stronger ... hopefully. Did I pull that off? Comments are gold! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this already =]


	10. 1x11 up to 1x16

**1x11 - 'Blood Hungry'**

**_Morgan is keen to avoid Reid whilst investigating a potential cannibal._**

Morgan leapt at the chance to avoid Reid. Their last case … Reid millimetres from him, and that irresistible confusion in his eyes … it was too much temptation for Morgan to stand. Distance was what was required once more. Reid, on the other hand, frowned a little. He wanted to be close to Morgan. Wanted it with his whole heart.

**1x12 - 'What Fresh Hell'**

**_Whilst rescuing a kidnapped young girl, Morgan and Reid are attempting to act normally._**

"I got absolutely nothing," Morgan announced.

"Uh, nothing," JJ groaned, and they both placed their cards face down on the table.

Reid grinned smugly. "Two pair … of aces," he crowed, lowering his cards for everyone to see.

"Oh!" JJ moaned, and Morgan frowned.

"Get out of town! See, why you always winning? Nuh-uh!" he playfully pushed Reid's shoulder, the first contact he'd had with the other man in weeks, and shot back into his seat, surprised by the electric shock between their flesh.

"Because he cheats," JJ decided, and Morgan was grateful she hadn't noticed his shock. It seemed Reid hadn't either.

"Poker? It's mathematics and statistics and –"

Morgan raised his hand and imitated Reid talking, making the young genius blush.

JJ grinned and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure," she remarked sarcastically.

Hotch, watching, smiled slightly. "He's from Vegas," he told the other two calmly.

"Ah!" Morgan exclaimed. "House rules!"

Reid nodded. "There's that … too …" he conceded.

"Alright, shuffle!" JJ ordered, and Morgan held out a hand.

"Give me the cards!" Reid shuffled them quickly before handing them over. Their fingers slid against each other and their eyes connected, but only for a moment, and then the cards were in Morgan's hold and the game continued almost as though nothing had ever changed.

**1x13 - 'Poison'**

_**The BAU are called in when several people in New Jersey are poisoned whilst Reid's begins to be annoyed by Morgan's coldness.**_

Reid fell into step beside Morgan, almost enjoying the proximity. But Morgan seemed oblivious, neither moving away, nor sidling closer. then, he glanced round, eyes widenned ever so slightly, and he sped up.

Reid's jaw clenched and his shoulder's slumped. He was giving up, slowly but surely. Morgan's hot and cold spells were beyond annoying. They were messing with his head in a way he'd never experienced before. Maybe it was time Reid made a decision as to what he wanted and deserved. Reid slowed down, making his decision, taking the choice away from the agent ahead of him.

...

Morgan glanced over at Reid and they once again fell into synchronised step. Reid sped up. Morgan watched him forge ahead with a heaviness in his own step.

**1x14 - 'Riding The Lightning'**

**_Whilst investigating the possibility of a woman on Death Row being innocent, Morgan is pleased to have assignments that keep him away from Reid._**

Morgan glanced up at Reid and quickly away. There was nothing _wrong_ with looking at Reid before he and Elle left the prison … but he knew he shouldn't be looking either. It was like some kind of addiction that he couldn't quite shake. Well, another case apart was just another step until he stopped looking altogether.

Reid looked up. He wondered why Morgan never even looked at him anymore, and then reminded himself that he no longer cared. It didn't matter if Morgan looked at him or not. Not anymore.

They may have fooled the team, but they certainly weren't fooling themselves.

**1x15 - 'Unfinished Business'**

_**The return of one of the BAU's finest coincides with Morgan and Reid's continued attempts at closure.**_

"Where else would any of us be on a Saturday night?" Elle commented dryly. "It's not like we have lives, or anything."

"Speak for yourself!" Morgan threw back, and Reid swallowed. He could only imagine what Morgan had been doing, and the thought was so painful, he had to change the conversation the only way he knew how.

"Guys, we are about to meet Max Ryan! The guy responsible for catching the Boysie Child killer!" His enthusiasm made Morgan grin. Just a little. Still too much.

...

Ryan stared at Reid, the same flummoxed expression everyone wore at one time or another around the genius. It made Morgan smile.

"And you remember the page number and the quote?" asked Ryan, startled.

"Don't ask," Morgan advised. He loved to watch people flounder in front of Reid's intelligence, and smiled warmly at the genius, who flushed and turned away. Morgan frowned. What, no shy smile in return? His curiosity raised, he forgot this was exactly what he wanted.

...

Reid's babbling was endearing, and Morgan looked away so as not to smile as he had earlier. He was forcing his feelings back to platonic, right? Reid watched and continued to talk, desperate for a little of Morgan's attention whilst simultaneously hoping it would not be bestowed.

It was pathetic on both sides.

...

Morgan handed Reid the paper and moved on to JJ, both faultlessly professional in their conduct. Now, if they could achieve that without telling themselves to do so, they were home free!

**1x16 - 'The Tribe'**

**_As they investigate the possibility of racially motivated attacks__, Morgan becomes more aware of Reid's attempts to sever any connection between them._**

"It's Garcia," Morgan murmured as he looked at his phone.

"I got this," Reid said immediately. Morgan looked up, slightly stung by Reid's enthusiasm for some distance between them. True, he was keen for it too, but knowing Reid was _so_ enthusiastic was nothing more than depressing.

"You sure –"

"Yeah," Reid replied instantly. Distance was exactly what he needed if he wanted to control the way his body reacted to Derek Morgan. His muscles relaxed as Morgan walked away and he was able to focus on his job.

Morgan, on the other hand, was incapable of doing so. Reid had told him, quite explicitly, that he liked Morgan. He had reacted to Morgan's cold spells with evident hurt that had made Morgan's gut twist. What had changed? Had Reid got over him so fast? Apart from the insult to Morgan's pride, something else inside Morgan felt wounded. Terribly so. Why was everything suddenly so damn complicated?

**NB - **I know this is a very choppy chapter, but having rewatched the episodes there was quite literally NOTHING in them. But we are coming up to a very improtant episode, 1x18. I hope this tides you over until the next episode! What do you think about Reid's decision to reject any Morgan advances? Comments are gold =]


	11. 1x17 'A Real Rain'

**1x17 - 'A Real Rain'**

**_Whilst hunting down a vigilante in New York, Reid's continued attempts to ignore Morgan begin to fail._**

"I'm looking forward to seeing New York," said Reid, an almost throwaway comment that caught Morgan's immediate and absolute attention, as everything Reid-related did. He processed the statement and blinked.

"You've never been to New York?" It was the first time in a long time that he'd spoken to Reid in a personal context.

"We've never had an unsub there," was Reid's simple reply, unflustered. Morgan held his gaze, utterly shocked. How on earth was that a justification? Reid didn't seem too disturbed by the stare.

"Reid – it's a one hour flight!" Morgan protested, and Reid bowed his head, ashamed.

"Well, if we have some time, I'll show you around," JJ promised, and Morgan's heart leapt into his throat. Before Reid could reply, he spoke, trying to distract him again.

"It's a three hour train ride, man!"

Elle giggled as Reid avoided Morgan's accusing look, unaware of Morgan's desire to show Reid around himself. Show him Morgan's New York. Pizza slices. A football game at Madison Square Garden. Drinks in –

_Stop it,_ thought Morgan. Let JJ show him Fifth Avenue, the Empire State Building, and Central Park. What did he care? Reid quite clearly didn't. he should follow in the genius's footsteps.

...

"Excuse me, could I get a fork, perhaps?" Reid asked a passing waiter. Morgan and JJ both began to giggle and Reid, embarrassed, pulled up his shield. "Did you know that experts credit Confucious with the advent of the chopstick? He acquitted knives with acts of aggression."

Morgan leaned towards the man, holding up the abandoned pair of chopsticks. "You don't know how to use them, do you?" he teased. It was like normal, like before, and fooled Reid into looking at Morgan's eyes.

Reid sighed and lifted his hand to take the chopsticks. "It's like trying to forage for dinner with a pair of number two pencils!" as the others laughed, Reid's fingers brushed Morgan's. Both were struck by the physical contact, their senses heightened by the lack of it over the past couple of weeks. By the time the others had stopped laughing, both men had secured neutral expressions on their faces.

"Ok here, let me help you," JJ offered, taking the chopsticks and looping a hair band around the top.

"Oh, the rubber band trick," Morgan noted, his voice too even.

"Yeah, the rubber band trick," JJ agreed.

...

Reid found himself standing beside Morgan, watching the body being loaded into the coroner's van. They both glanced at each other in the same moment, and shared a long look of both compassion and confusion at the world. There was something achingly familiar about it, and although parts of their brains were screaming the familiar warnings, a slightly larger side was sighing with relief at the emotions they saw reflected in the other's eyes.

**NB - **1x18 next! I've already started writing it and let's just say there will be a massive change in Morgan and Reid's relationship. I'm sorry this took so long, there's been a lot going on at home recently. What do you think of this, and what do you think will happen next? Comments are gold =]


End file.
